Broken
by Ketharil
Summary: Post-NJO; Kyp and Jaina reunite after a few years apart. Completed; sequel Whole up.
1. Chapter 1

            ~

            This fic was originally posted on theforce.net, where I go by the screenname of SaberBlade.  If you recognize this, don't worry, it isn't plagiarized; I'm simply reposting it here also.

            ~

            General Disclaimer:  Star Wars belongs to George Lucas and the characters belong to their respective authors.  Anything you don't recognize is mine; please respect my muse.  I don't intend any infringement with this fic; it was created because I have an abiding love for Star Wars and a wish to share my interpretation of it with the world.

            ~

            ~

            **Details:**

            Name: Broken

            Time Frame: Post-NJO

            Pairing: Kyp Durron and Jaina Solo

            Rating: PG to PG-13

            Post: Chapter 1 of 3

            Story Status: Completed

            Notes: There is a sequel, Whole, which can be found both on this site and on theforce.net.

            ~

            As always, reviews are appreciated.

            ~

            ~

He loved her.

            It was easy for him to admit now.  At first he had struggled with himself, had tried to deny the emotion she could so effortlessly call forth.  But he had lost his inner war.  No matter how vehemently he tried to assert that she was a friend, a companion, a _partner_- he failed.

            She was more.

            It was easy to understand why, in a way. 

            She knew what it was like to soar through starlit space in peace, just pilot and ship and the Force working together in a test of skill- to feel the exhilaration of Lando's Folly, the thrill of fancy flying for the enjoyment it provided, to have the Force singing pure and clear through her as her hands danced across the controls.  

            But she also knew what it was like to fight for control of a battered and wounded ship, dodging coralskippers and debris that had once been the ships of wingmates, trying to desperately ignore the pain of lives suddenly missing in the Force.  She knew the guilt of surviving battles when so many that flew out with her didn't; she knew a commander's regret of leading good people to their deaths.

            She knew the peace of being _whole_, of being connected through the Force to every living thing around her.  She knew the tranquility meditation could sometimes bring, the satisfaction a sparring match with a fellow Jedi could call forth.  She knew what it was like to feel a part of something larger than her- to feel as though she was fighting for a cause, that she was making a difference in the galaxy.

            But she also understood the ever-present temptation.  She knew of the darkness that whispered seductively just under the surface of the light.  She knew of the quick and easy path to power; she had followed it just as he once had.  She knew the feelings of pain and loss as well as he did; she understood anger and the dark side.  She had struggled through the same journey back to the light that he had undergone years earlier.

            It was easy to understand why he loved her.  She was everything he admired: a pilot, a Jedi.  She was loyal and brave.  She would speak her mind despite the consequences; she would fight for what she felt was worth defending.  She brought out the best and the worst in him.  She could make him laugh.  She could make him feel as though he were normal- as though his past wasn't looming large behind him, overshadowing the way everyone saw him.  It wasn't there for her; her own past somehow met his, and she could see him for who he really was.  

            He didn't remember when she had somehow reached out and captured his heart with her small hands.  He had tried to recall, tried to find the exact moment when something in him had set and locked so that only she could open him fully, and had failed.  Not that it mattered, really, he had just wondered if it had been before or after he had lost her to that Chiss pilot.

            He wished he could hate that kid.  It would make everything so much simpler.  But hate was of the dark side, and he had gone down that route once before, destroying everything he loved in the process.

            He wouldn't do it again.  Not when she was what he loved now; not when he could lose her.

            Again.  He really wished he could hate that kid.

            But it was probably for the best.  He was tainted- destroyer of worlds, rogue Jedi, failed Master of a dead Jedi, failed leader of a dying squadron, ignored Master of a Goddess.  It seemed everything he touched- everything he allowed himself to grow close to- he destroyed.  Broke.  Shattered.  Nothing remained whole.

            He had almost made that mistake with her.  She had sought him out and offered him her friendship- and he had craved it.  But he had ruined it.  He broke her trust and crushed her spirit by forcing her to kill innocents.  The tentative ground their friendship had stood on had crumbled and slid away.

  


            He had learned his lesson from that.  He couldn't touch her.  He couldn't be near her.  He shattered things- trust, friendship, love.  She didn't deserve that.  She deserved to be whole, to live a full life, a life uncomplicated by a tainted Jedi Master.  He was going to leave her alone, let her move on to the life she deserved.

            But then she fell.  And she was trying so desperately to rise again, straining to overcome the darkness, and he had looked and seen her fragile and broken herself, and he hadn't been able to help himself.  He offered to teach her, to help her back to the light, when all he wanted to do was pull her close and wrap his arms around her so that nothing would dare come near and hurt her again.  He had wanted to be her shield, her protector.

            But he had kept his distance.  He became her mentor, and he watched her carefully climb back into the light.  He watched her grow into acceptance of who she was, of what she had been.  And he ached sometimes from the way she looked at him- trusting, a friend and partner throughout everything, as though nothing he had ever ruined could touch her.  To her, his past wasn't strewn with broken worlds and shattered dreams.  To her, he simply was.  And the easy acceptance hurt- hurt because it made him believe and want too much.

            But he loved her, so he stood back.  He let the distance between them grow into vast starsystems, until he was no longer on the same world she was.  He watched from afar as she turned to Jag- shavit but he wished he could hate him- and consoled himself with the fact that she was happy.  And whole.  And unbroken.

            She deserved to be happy.  He loved her with everything he was; she deserved to be happy.  And that meant that he couldn't touch her, couldn't have her.  Because he was tainted.  And no matter how hard he tried, whatever he touched would shatter and break.  

            He loved her.

            So he hung back, away from her presence, away from the hopes and dreams she so effortlessly called up.

            And he watched.

~~

Reviews make my day!  Tell me what you think I did well or horribly.  I appreciate constructive criticism and honest appraisals…

Thanks!

-Keth

~


	2. Chapter 2

            ~

            This fic was originally posted on theforce.net, where I go by the screenname of SaberBlade.  If you recognize this, don't worry, it isn't plagiarized; I'm simply reposting it here also.

            ~

            General Disclaimer:  Star Wars belongs to George Lucas and the characters belong to their respective authors.  Anything you don't recognize is mine; please respect my muse.  I don't intend any infringement with this fic; it was created because I have an abiding love for Star Wars and a wish to share my interpretation of it with the world.

            ~

            ~

            **Details:**

            Name: Broken

            Time Frame: Post-NJO

            Pairing: Kyp Durron and Jaina Solo

            Rating: PG to PG-13

            Post: Chapter 2 of 3

            Story Status: Completed

            Notes: There is a sequel, Whole, which can be found both on this site and on theforce.net.

            ~

            As always, reviews are appreciated.

            ~

            ~

She hadn't felt whole in years.  

            It was as if something were missing; as if some part of her had somehow disappeared into space.  When Anakin had died, when Jacen had vanished- those had been similar voids in her being.  But she knew when those holes had been torn; she could look back and feel through the pain to when she had first been ripped asunder.

            This was different.  

            She didn't know when this hole had been made; she didn't know what had caused it.  All she knew was that it existed, and that it wanted to swallow her up.

            She didn't know what was missing.  It was as if some essential part of her- the part that made her whole, the part that made her feel connected and content- had simply faded away and vanished, had splintered into hundreds of shards that could never be collected.  But she couldn't get a lock on what this part was.  It was obvious only in its absence; it was as though some vital piece of her had decided to inform her of its presence only as it was ripped away from her and broken.

            She didn't understand it.  But that was the way she felt.

            Incomplete.  Missing something vitally important.  Broken.

            She didn't know how long she had felt this way.  Years, at least.  She had been trying to fill the hole long before she had acknowledged its existence.  That was the only way she could gauge how long she had felt incomplete. 

            She had been trying to put herself back together for years.  For nearly the entirety of the war.  She had been whole when she had gone through Lando's Folly; she had been whole when she had first flown with Rogue Squadron.  She had even been whole at Sernpidal, the one place where she should have felt broken and empty inside.  At first she thought that it had been the battle at Sernpidal that had destroyed whatever vital part that had gone missing.  But there had been times after that when she had felt whole, so she had ruled out Sernpidal.  

            She had given up trying to figure out when, precisely, some part of her had shattered.  Now she simply tried to live with a gaping void in her being.  She had tried to fill the void over the years, even before she had realized that the void existed.  Twin Suns, being the Trickster-Goddess, her military career, being a Jedi.  She still wasn't certain how much of her fall to the dark side was because she was searching for something- _anything_- to make her feel whole and complete.

            It had even seemed to work for a while.  That scared her, because it made the alluring voice of the dark side sweeter than ever. _You were whole when you gave in, _she always seemed to hear somewhere in the back of her mind. _You can be whole again._

            But she knew what the dark side could do; knew that it would tempt with easy answers and swift power; knew that in the end, she would still feel hollow.  But the knowledge didn't keep the dark side from tempting her.

            So she had escaped the darkness and returned to her broken self.  And things had improved, for a time- she was Yun-Harla, the Trickster-Goddess; she had a Jedi Master to guide her, a Master she knew understood what she had gone through, a Master she counted as a friend.

            He had made her laugh when she hadn't thought she would be able to.  He had made her feel- anger, annoyance, friendship- when she hadn't been sure she would be able to feel again.  More importantly, he had made her be honest- honest to the world and honest to herself.

            And she had Twin Suns; she had her pilots and her companions in mischief-making and trickster-planning.  

            And she had Jag.

            For a time- for such a short time- she had been complete again.  Unbroken.

            And then she had moved on, sure that she was ready for the galaxy.  She was a Solo- it was her job to save the galaxy.  And her twin brother was alive and the war was finally going in their favor . . . 

            But she was somehow broken.

            That was when she had first realized how incomplete she was.  It wasn't when the hole had been made, but it was when she had finally noticed it.  And by then it was too late for her to find all the shattered pieces.

            Tahiri had given her hope.  Tahiri had been as lost as Jaina felt; when Tahiri was able to come to terms with Riina, Jaina had felt a brief shiver of hope that she too would be able to come to terms with the hollowness inside of her.

            She was afraid her uncle had spoken the truth on her ascension to Knighthood, afraid that she would never know peace.  Nothing she had done had been able to fill the void and give her rest.

            Maybe that was why she had turned Jag down just days ago when he had asked her to marry him.  She had thought- had hoped- that he would be able to collect the shattered pieces and make her whole again.  Or to at least fill the void with something of himself.  He loved her, in his way; in a way, she loved him.

            But she had turned him down, and much as they both might regret it, neither felt she had done anything other than what was best for them.  Jag was a good friend; she was glad she hadn't lost him.

            She had already lost part of herself.

            She was tired of feeling hollow, of knowing she was somehow broken.

            She was tainted; she was somehow incomplete.

            She wanted to be whole again.

~~

Reviews make my day!  Tell me what you think I did well or horribly.  I appreciate constructive criticism and honest appraisals…

Thanks!

-Keth

~


	3. Chapter 3

            ~

            This fic was originally posted on theforce.net, where I go by the screenname of SaberBlade.  If you recognize this, don't worry, it isn't plagiarized; I'm simply reposting it here also.

            ~

            General Disclaimer:  Star Wars belongs to George Lucas and the characters belong to their respective authors.  Anything you don't recognize is mine; please respect my muse.  I don't intend any infringement with this fic; it was created because I have an abiding love for Star Wars and a wish to share my interpretation of it with the world.

            ~

            ~

            **Details:**

            Name: Broken

            Time Frame: Post-NJO

            Pairing: Kyp Durron and Jaina Solo

            Rating: PG to PG-13

            Post: Chapter 3 of 3

            Story Status: Completed

            Notes: There is a sequel, Whole, which can be found both on this site and on theforce.net.

            ~

            As always, reviews are appreciated.

            ~

            ~

Kyp paused in the doorway of the conference room.  He need a minute to gather his thoughts.

            He needed a minute to look at her.

            Jaina stood at the far end of the conference room, by the sliver of a viewport in the corner.  The distant pinpoints of far-off stars provided the only light for the room; Jaina was motionless, gazing out into the stars.  She wore a grey military uniform under her Jedi robe; her lightsaber, hanging at her waist, glinted dully in the silver starlight.  Her hair had grown, Kyp saw, drinking in the details.  It had probably begun the day in a braid, but now, when most people aboard the ship were sleeping, the braid was tattered and wisps of dark brown hair escaped the plait to frame her face and curl around her shoulders.

            But what captured Kyp more than anything was the expression on her face.  She looked . . . lost, he decided.  Vulnerable.

            Part of him ridiculed the idea of Jaina Solo being vulnerable.  She was strong; she had proven her strength all throughout the war.  But part of him longed to go up to her and hold her, to lend her some of his strength, to keep her safe until that lost look faded away.  

            With a deep, calming breath, Kyp stepped into the darkened room, letting his tight shields drop so that she could sense his presence.  He made his way to her slowly, circling the conference table and the stacked chairs, until he stood beside her, staring out into the stars.

            She didn't look at him, didn't move to acknowledge him in any way, but he felt the light brush of her mind against his, a quiet welcome.  He sent a gentle caress back, and they stood in silence for a long moment.

            Jaina was the first to speak.  "You've been away for a while," she said, voice soft and familiar.

            "Us mere mortals do have lives to attend to, Goddess."  His tone was light and jesting, but the smile didn't quite reach his face.  It had been all too hard to keep himself away from her the past few years since the war ended; now that he was speaking with her, he would keep himself under tight control.  She didn't deserve to be broken.

            She didn't look at him.  "I haven't been a goddess in a long time, Kyp," she sighed.  

            "I know.  But it's a hard habit to break."

            "How have you been?"

            "All right.  Peace is different.  I almost expect to wake up and find myself back in the middle of things again."  He glanced over at Jaina.  "I hear you've been promoted again.  Congratulations."

            "Thanks."  Her voice was barely a whisper; she crossed her arms in front of her and hugged them tight against her chest, as if she was cold.

            "How is your family?"

            A ghost of a smile flickered across her face for a moment; it hurt to compare it to the grin that Kyp remembered.  "They're doing well.  Jacen's got his own family now, and Mom and Dad are back to arguing over which one of us has given them more grey hairs.  Tahiri's doing much better."

            He noticed she counted Tahiri in with her true family, but didn't comment on it.  "That's good.  Master Skywalker said they'd be arriving soon."

            "Yes."

            When had their conversations become so stilted?  Where was the bantering, the laughter?  They spoke like they were polite strangers.  What had happened to the easy friendship, the partnership, the comradery?

            He was about to speak, to wish her a good night and leave her to her contemplations, safe from his tainted presence, when she suddenly turned to face him.

            "Kyp," she said, "what's wrong with me?"

            "_Wrong?_" He stared at her for a minute, but her brown eyes were sad and very serious.  "What do you mean?"

            "Can't you sense it?"  She uncrossed her arms and spread them wide.  "Jacen can.  Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara can.  _Mom_ can even sense it sometimes.  What's wrong with me?"

            Tears were brimming in her eyes; Kyp forced himself to ignore them and reached out towards her with the Force.  Rather than a simple brush against her mind as he had done before, this time he reached out a mental hand for hers, and waited.  She accepted his invitation, and the link welled open between them.  

            It had always been a strong link, pulsing with their combined presences, strengthened by the near-competition between the two of them, fueled by their affection for each other and brimming with life.  But now, to Kyp's horror, Jaina's presence seemed dimmed, diminished.  

            He pulled out of the link and gazed down at her.  She had wiped away her tears, but her eyes were shining with more.  "What's wrong with me?  No one else has any idea.  I just- It's like I'm-"  She made a wordless noise of annoyance and dashed away more tears.  "I just don't feel whole anymore.  It's like something inside me broke, and I don't know where all the pieces went."  She glanced up at him, eyes pleading.  "What's wrong with me?  How can I fix it?"

            _"It's like something inside me broke, and I don't know where all the pieces went."_

            Kyp stared at her, heart plummeting.  It hadn't worked.  He had tried to stay away from her, he had tried to keep her safe from his tainted influence, and it hadn't worked.  No matter how hard he tried, whatever he cared for always ended up broken.  He had worked so hard to keep it from her, and yet . . .

            "I'm sorry," he said, voice hoarse.  He reached out a hand and very carefully brushed away one of her tears.  Her skin was soft and damp, and he ached to do more than just barely touch it with his fingertips.  But he couldn't risk it.  If merely loving her from a distance had caused her pain, what would his touch do to her?  "It's all my fault, and I'm sorry.  I tried not to."

-----

            Confused, Jaina stared up at her former Master.  "What?" she asked.  

            His thumb swept away another tear; his rough hands were gentle, as if he didn't quite trust himself not to break her by touching her.  "I'm sorry," he said, and he sounded serious.  His fingers trailed a path down her cheek before he dropped his hand.  "It's my fault."

            She gave a watery laugh.  "How can this be your fault?" she asked.  "If it's anyone's, it's mine."

            "No," he said, cutting her off.  "It's mine."

            A little shiver ran though Jaina.  Kyp had gone from concern to something near anger- his eyes were now dark and intense, his strong face set.  "How?" she asked again.

            "Everything I touch somehow goes wrong," he said, very simply.  "Everything I want to work somehow breaks."  He lifted his hand, like he was going to touch her face again, but he quickly pulled it back to his side.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't want it to reach you."  He turned away from her in a swift movement and slammed a fist against the wall.  "Shavit, I didn't want it to hurt you!"

            The despair in his voice had her coming forward.  She reached up and put a hand on his shoulder.  "Kyp, look at me."  Muscles bunched under her hand, but the Jedi Master refused to turn around.  "_Kyp_."  

            "Go away, Goddess," he said, still leaning against the wall.  "Don't risk being with me longer than you have to."

            He suddenly sounded old.  Jaina frowned- he was sixteen years older than her, but never before had that ever seemed an issue between them.  Now she could see the silver twining through his black hair, the small wrinkles at the corner of his eyes.  It only made her more determined.  

            "Kyp, look at me."  She tugged at his shoulder; when he didn't respond, she slid her hand down his arm- muscles flickered under her palm along the way- and nestled it into his larger hand.  He held her hand tightly, then tried to loosen his grip and shake her free.  She didn't let him.  "Kyp, it can't be your fault," she said.  "You couldn't have done anything to me- you weren't even here."

            "And it didn't help, did it?"  Abruptly, he turned back to her, her hand now trapped firmly within his, his eyes so intent upon hers that she involuntarily backed up a step.  "I kept away, hoping that the one thing that mattered wouldn't be touched, and look what happened to you.  It didn't work.  The one thing that's important and it didn't work."  

            Jaina raised her other hand- to ward him off, to comfort- she didn't know, and her hand wavered and dropped.  "Kyp, it's within _me_.  Whatever it is.  It can't be your fault."  He opened his mouth to argue with her and she shook her head.  "It can't be.  But what's wrong with me?  If you think it's your fault, you should at least know that."

-----

            It was like living a nightmare.  "I break things," Kyp said flatly.  "Whatever I want to keep safe, I manage to shatter.  Whatever I love, I hurt.  Whatever's important, I destroy.  I thought if I just stayed away from you, if I just managed to leave you alone, I wouldn't be able to hurt you."  He felt a smile twist its way onto his face.  "But I guess I'm stronger than I thought and it didn't help."

            Jaina still looked confused.  He lifted her hand in his and stared at their entwined hands.  His were larger, scarred and rough; her fingers were slender, just as scarred, and somehow very small and delicate lying next to his.  "I'm sorry.  I don't know what's wrong with you.  All I know is that it's somehow my fault, and I'm sorry.  I didn't want it to happen."

            "Kyp, that can't be right."

            He raised his eyes from her hand, and they were haunted.  He dropped her hand as though it burned.  "No?"

            "No."  Her voice was quiet, calm.

            He laughed bitterly.  "And what do you know about it, Goddess?  Look at what I've done.  Look at what's happened everywhere I go."

            She couldn't hold back the tears anymore.  "And so you leave me alone to deal with this and go off to brood?  Sithspawn, Durron, couldn't you have even tried to help?"

            Her tears upset him, but he shot back a retort.  "And if I stayed you'd be worse- look what happened when I _left!_"

-----

            _. . . happened when I **left** . . _

            Something clicked into place.  The tears stopped; Jaina blinked and seemed to see the man before her for the first time.

            "When you left," she repeated, dazed.

            "Yes, when I left!" he snapped back.  "I didn't want you to be hurt and so I left.  I thought you would be safe.  I thought you wouldn't be hurt."

            Jaina looked up at him.  He was as close to furious as she had ever seen him- not angry with her, but angry with himself for whatever he had somehow done to her.  But something inside her fluttered; something in that void stirred and began to rise, as though some part of her that had been offline was starting to fire up again.

            It made no sense and yet it made perfect sense.

            She realized that she hadn't responded, that he was still staring down at her with that curious mix of anger and guilt threading through his senses.  Instead of speaking, Jaina took a step forward.  "Kyp?" she questioned softly.

            "I'm sorry, Goddess.  I didn't want this to happen."  He sounded defeated.

            "You left," she repeated again, coming closer.  She slipped her arms around his waist and nestled against his chest.  Beneath her cheek, she could hear his heart beating, could feel his muscles tense as she hugged him.  

            Kyp hesitated, but briefly.  His arms went around her and she was suddenly crushed tight against him; she tightened her grip and savored the feel of being held.  "Jaina," Kyp whispered into her hair.  

            It felt right.  It felt like the pieces were collecting, reassembling themselves.

            She reached for him through the Force, offered him that spectral hand that would link them. 

-----

            Kyp accepted the link before he had really thought about it.  Having Jaina in his arms, feeling her pressed close to him, had shattered his carefully created control.  The bond swelled up between them, and Jaina was no longer weak and dim in through the Force.

            Surprised, he reached deeper, reached further towards her.  Her joy seemed to overflow, brimming out into the link.

            "Don't leave again," Jaina said into his shirt.  "I need you here with me."

            It hurt to deny her, but he had to.  "I can't stay," he said, though he didn't- couldn't- release her.  "I can't hurt you more."

            She pulled back just enough to look at him.  "You hurt me by leaving!" she cried.  "Without you I'm-" she glared at his chest while she struggled for the right words, and then lifted her brown eyes back up to his- ". . . broken."

            Hope blossomed somewhere within him.  He moved one hand and pressed it against her face.  "Jaina, I don't want to lose you.  I don't want to make you break."

            Her hand settled over his, warm and light.  "I'm already broken," she whispered.  "I need you to make me whole again."

            He sensed the truth of her words, felt the honesty through their link.  Hope flared bright within him, flourishing from her confession.  But still he hesitated.

            "Please," Jaina begged, tears in her voice.  "Don't leave me again.  I need you."

            Kyp was fighting within himself.  Years of experience shouted at him to leave, to let her survive alone, without his taint.  It was hard to go against them, hard to believe that she was different.  But he ignored the voices wailing that this would only hurt her, hurt him, somehow destroy everything he wanted and dreamed of, and framed Jaina's face in his hands and kissed her.

------

            Kyp's hands slid from her face into her tattered braid, stroking her hair.  Jaina closed her eyes and leaned against him, pouring herself into the kiss.

            It felt right.  The void was shrinking, vanishing into nothing, filled with Kyp's presence.  He reluctantly lifted his head and looked down at her, green eyes darker and shining bright.  

            Before he could speak, she pressed herself against him.  His arms locked around her once more.  "Don't leave me," she pleaded.  "Don't break me again."

            "I won't," he promised.  His voice sounded deeper, strange and comforting, with her ear pressed against his chest.  "Never again."

            "You were right, though," she said, and felt him tense.  A smile spread slowly across her face, and she couldn't contain her laughter.  "It _was_ your fault."

------

            Kyp felt her shaking with laughter in his arms, and was astonished to find that he was smiling himself.  "I told you so."  He stroked the remains of her braid with one hand.  

            "I don't ever want to feel that empty again."

            "I don't ever want to leave you alone again," he told her honestly.  He shut his eyes and rested his head against hers.  "You matter, Goddess.  I don't want to hurt you."

            "You won't.  Not if you stay."

            He smiled without opening his eyes.  "I'm not going anywhere."

            He didn't move for a long while, content to have her finally in his arms.  But eventually his arms loosened, and they stepped back and looked at each other once more.

            "Thanks," Jaina said after a minute of simply watching him.

            He lifted her hand to his lips before he released it.  "Anything for a Goddess."

            Her smile sprang forth in all its glory- the real smile, not the ghost of it he had seen earlier.  "I told you, I haven't been a goddess in years."

            "Habit," Kyp said, and tucked a strand of her hair back behind her ear.  "I don't think I'll ever be able to break it."

            "You always were stubborn."

            At that, he grinned.  "Yeah.  Pretty much."

            Her commlink clicked, and she pulled it from her robes.  "General Solo," she identified herself.

            "General, the _Millennium Falcon_ has received permission to dock in Bay 19," an anonymous controller's voice told her.  "You requested to be notified."

            "Thank you, Ensign," she said.  "Please pass along the information to Master Skywalker."

            "Yes, sir," the controller answered.  

            Jaina replaced the commlink and glanced up at Kyp.  "Want to come along, Durron?"

            He grinned.  "A chance to see Han as a grandfather?  Do you think I could pass this opportunity up?"

            They made their way out of the conference room.  "Don't dare call him 'grandpa' to his face," Jaina advised.  "I don't think he's quite forgiven Jacen for making him feel that old yet."

            Kyp snickered.  Jaina knew the ship's corridors well, and led them down to the docking bays.

            The _Falcon_ was completing her landing cycle.  Jaina and Kyp paused a safe distance away, waiting.  The landing ramp extended- slowly.

            "Broken again," Jaina murmured, a smile on her face.  Behind her, her aunt and uncle appeared, Luke carrying an obviously sleepy Ben.  Just before the landing ramp touched the bay floor, Jaina glanced up at Kyp.  "I'm glad you're back, Kyp," she said simply.  "I've missed you- I've missed this."

            His smile was slow and easy.  Gone were the polite strangers they had started as a half hour earlier; here was the easy friendship, the flirting bantering that they had grown into before he had cut himself out of the picture.

            "I won't let you break," he promised her as her family began to disembark the _Falcon_.  "I'm not going to leave."

            She looked towards her parents, who were the first off the _Falcon_, and her smile sprang to life.  "You break things and I'm broken without you," she murmured.  "I think that's fitting."

            He chuckled.  "Good thing you were always good with fixing things, Goddess.  It's going to be an interesting ride."

            Jaina grinned up at him.  "Did you expect anything less?"  And with that she turned away to greet her family.

            And Kyp stood back and watched her hug her parents and greet her twin, pulling her nephew from his mother's arms to give him a swinging hug that had him shrieking with laughter.  It was familiar, standing back, away from the group, eyes focused only on Jaina.

            But this time, he was smiling.

~~

Reviews make my day!  Tell me what you think I did well or horribly.  I appreciate constructive criticism and honest appraisals…

Thanks!

-Keth

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